'Don't Put the Cart before the Mule!' Challenging Assumptions Regarding Health-Related Treatment Practices of Working Equid Owners in Northern India.

ABSTRACT: This paper challenges assumptions that the health management of working equids among some of India's poorest communities is mainly dependent upon income, economic influence, or access to veterinary services. Using a mixed-methods approach, hierarchies of treatment practices are revealed through an examination of the 'lived experience' of equid owners in brick kilns and construction sites in northern India. Semi-structured interviews with 37 equid owners and corresponding livelihood surveys, combined with data from two focus groups with professional animal health practitioners and the welfare data of 63 working equids collected using the Equid Assessment, Research, and Scoping (EARS) tool, contributed to the findings of the study. Four principal influencing factors were found to affect the

SUBMITTER: Nye C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8147387 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature